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The Red Sox signed Antonio Anderson to a $1.5 million bonus, well above his slot value of $846,000, after drafting him in the third round in 2023.
He was introduced to the Boston media at Fenway Park — a tradition exclusively for top draft picks — before heading to Fort Myers to begin his pro career.
Baseball America ranked him Boston’s No. 22 prospect entering 2024, noting he was “a longtime standout on the showcase circuit” and “one of the top prep bats in the 2023 draft class thanks to significant power and excellent plate discipline.”
But Anderson, who just turned 21 on June 28, struggled mightily in his first full professional season. He batted .186 in 108 games (482 plate appearances) for Low-A Salem in 2024 and dropped off Baseball America’s Red Sox Top 30 list that year.
“Especially with high school draft picks, sometimes it’s about playing the long game and not hitting the panic button,” High-A Greenville hitting coach Jarrett Pico said.
Anderson and the Red Sox stuck with the process and the results finally began showing up this May, the second month of his third full professional season.
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The switch-hitter, who Boston drafted out of North Atlanta High in Georgia, has batted .320 with a .409 on-base percentage, .530 slugging percentage and .939 OPS in 113 plate appearances since May 1. That’s after batting .098 in April.
“Honestly, not a ton different from beginning of the year,” Pico said. “Just having that patience with him and just keeping him in the right headspace — and credit to him. He always just kept his head up."
The turnaround has been drastic. Anderson had just one extra-base hit (a double) during April. He has recorded 12 extra-base hits (four homers, seven doubles and one triple) since May 1. Here’s his month-by-month breakdown, showing an improvement each month:
| Antonio Anderson | BA | OBP | Slugging % | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | .098 | .235 | .122 | .357 |
| May 2026 | .262 | .380 | .405 | .785 |
| June 2026 | .341 | .408 | .614 | 1.022 |
| July 2026 | .429 | .500 | .643 | 1.143 |
Anderson was drafted as a shortstop but he’s now a corner infielder. He has started 27 games at first base, 12 games at third base and one game at DH this year.
“It’s obviously not easy at times when a hitter’s struggling, especially a young hitter,” Pico said. “But he just stuck with it, trusted his process and now he’s kind of seeing the results of that. So it’s always good to see that. And then just credit to him for staying in the right headspace and trusting his process and being able to trust us and then just going with that.”
Two other Red Sox prospects on the rise
Sadbiel Delzine: The 18-year-old Venezuelan righty is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in nine outings (six starts) in the Florida Complex League. He has held opponents to a .162 batting average. Baseball America jumped him from No. 24 on its 2026 preseason Top 30 Red Sox prospect rankings to No. 10 on its midseason list.
His BA scouting report notes,“At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Delzine looked like a fortress by the time he signed with size rarely seen for a 17-year-old pitcher. He already sits 94-96 mph and touches 98, with a chance for more power as he matures. From the windup, he has a deliberate tempo before his arm whips to the plate from a high three-quarters slot—a sound foundation for a vertical attack that features a curveball with depth, a hard gyro slider that tunnels well off his fastball and a changeup that dives to the arm side. As an amateur, he showed atypically strong control.”
Franklin Primera: Baseball America ranked the 19-year-old Venezuelan catcher/first baseman Boston’s No. 7 overall prospect on its midseason rankings after not ranking him in the top 30 entering the season.
Primera went 44 for 103 (.427) with a .549 on-base percentage, .718 slugging percentage, 1.267 OPS, eight home runs, six doubles and 29 RBIs in 32 games in the FCL. He had more walks (22) than strikeouts (13).
McWilliams reaches 98.7 mph
The Red Sox signed 30-year-old hard-throwing righty Sam McWilliams last week. The 2014 Phillies eighth-round draft pick had been pitching in Mexico for Toros de Tijuana.
McWilliams, who stands at 6-foot-7, reached 98.7 mph in an outing for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday. He threw 12 four-seam fastballs in a one-inning relief appearance, averaging 97.5 mph. He also mixed in 11 sweepers.
McWilliams has allowed two runs in two innings over two relief outings so far.
Extra-base hit leaders
Enddy Azocar, a 19-year-old outfielder who Baseball America ranks No. 6 overall prospect, leads all Red Sox minor leaguers with 20 doubles. He also has nine home runs and five triples in 68 games combined between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville.
Yoeilin Cespedes, 20, is second among Red Sox prospects in doubles with 19. He has 34 extra-base hits, tying him with Boston’s No. 1 prospect Franklin Arias for the most extra-base hits in the Red Sox system.
Cespedes has 14 home runs and one triple to go along with his 19 doubles.
More Red Sox coverage
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- Alex Cora’s brother out as third-base coach for Detroit Tigers
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